Household waste is the dominant contributor to municipal solid waste generation in North Bengkulu Regency, yet much of it remains outside formal collection systems. This situation highlights the need for a better understanding of how community initiatives and collaborative governance arrangements can support circular waste management in rural settings. This study investigates community-driven household waste management in North Bengkulu Regency through a three-month qualitative study (September–November 2025) spanning five villages across two subdistricts. Methods included stakeholder interviews, field observations, focus groups, and document review covering six actor categories. Results show that households generate 186 tons/day of waste (50.78% of total municipal output), with formal collection covering just 22.72% and 77.28% disposed of haphazardly. Notable local adaptations, such as lamppost pickups and stacked bucket home composting, highlight community ingenuity when institutional support is in place. The proposed CIRCLE-SIJAGO BU model integrates household 3P practices, waste banks, multi-stakeholder coordination (community, government, micro, small, and medium enterprises, informal sector), material valorization, gotong royong traditions, and regulatory clarity to enable scalable rural circular systems anchored in indigenous social capital.